No carryover! The start of the Vendée Globe, a legendary solo round the world race, was continued on Sunday November 8 at Les Sables d'Olonne (Vendée), the organizers announced on Tuesday. “Maintaining the race with a start on November 8 is our goal and everything is being done to that end. From a sporting point of view, nothing stands in the way, obviously subject to the opinion of the State, ”they said in a press release.
This announcement comes after comments made last week by Yves Auvinet, president of the SAEM Vendée Globe and organizer of the event, in an interview with France 3. “I can't imagine a Vendée Globe 2020 without a departure village and no presence of the public "he had launched, dismissing any postponement at the end of 2020 but referring to 2021 if there was a postponement.
"The Vendée Globe, which is also a popular event, is a public good that belongs to the Vendeans and the Vendéennes: the presence of the public is therefore important to us", it is however specified in the press release. "The organization is therefore studying all of the scenarios making it possible for the public to be present in a health and economic context which no one knows about."
Qualifying race in July
To date, the 9th edition of the Vendée Globe has 35 candidates, 11 of whom have not yet completed their qualification (they must complete a solo course on the boat they are entering around the world). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the qualifying races had to be canceled and the SAEM Vendée also indicated in its press release on Tuesday that it was setting up a "Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne race" for the month of July.
It would be “a departure off the Sables d'Olonne on July 4 for a solo race which takes sailors off Iceland, on the Arctic Circle, then to the Azores with a return to the point of departure about 10 days later, ”says the organization. This race was proposed by the Imoca class, which manages 18m monohull boats running the Vendée Globe.
Finally, the organizers announced that they would postpone the registration deadline to September 1. This was initially set for July 1.
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Coronavirus: "We are sailing by sight ..." Can the start of the Vendée Globe be given in November?
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